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The Battle of New Orleans
Introduction The battle of New Orleans took place January 8, 1815, and it was the last major battle of the War of 1812 between the Americans and the British. This battle was caused after the Americans purchased the Louisiana Purchase from the French, and they moved to take control of New Orleans which was already techniquely American property (Kimball par 6). Led by General Andrew Jackson, they defended the city from the British. The Battle of New Orleans was in fact the reason why the War of 1812 ended, why conflict with the British as a whole ended, and why American succeeded as an independent country as a result of it. All of these great things come from the single win that Andrew Jackson had over the invading British force led by Packenham (“Battle par 1). General Andrew Jackson of the continental army had been warned of the impending attack, so he gather militiamen and reinforced New Orleans mainly in the Rodriquez canal. 7,500 British soldiers under the command of Sir Edward Packenham were to charge up the canal and take the city of New Orleans with ease(Hickey pg 6). Little did they know there were 4,500 expert riflemen from Kentucky and Tennessee waiting for them to charge. Packenham led his army divided into three groups becoming very unorganized. As the main attack force approached the wall, the American rifleman completely decimated the British troops including Sir Edward Packenham leaving the soldiers without authority. The British troops retreated and New Orleans was safe. This marked the end of the War of 1812(Jackson par 3). Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson gre up a poor boy whos dad died at at a very early age forcing him to move with his brothers and sisters to a family house down the street. He grew up poor and helpless until he inherited what roughly is considered 40,000 dollars in todays money. He went to Charleston to spend the money, and in a matter of months he spent it all. He then decided to become a teacher at a very early age until he realzied he was too mean to do that(Jackson, par 4). He then went to be an apprentice to a lawyer and lived in a tavern for several years. Andrew was troubled his whole life, and he was constantly getting into trouble. As he got older he was introduced into the politcal as well as military rhelm. He was the General during the Battle of New Orleans where he held the lines against the impending British attack. He went on to be President of the United states where he was hated by many but loved by even more. He listened to nobody but himself and that is how he is remembered(Jackson par 6). Historical Context The United States was a young country at that point, and they were unstable in every way possibly. Having revolted against the British and gaining independence from them during the Revolutionary War created some tension that was built up until the War of 1812. The Americans declared war on the British in 1812 because Britain restricted their trade, the continued war with France, the impressments of merchant sailors, and the Indian tribes against the expansion of the colonies(Lossing par 12). These reasons are what led up the eventual ending of the war at the battle of New Orleans. The British have been holding a grudge since the American Revolution and even one with the French. New Orleans was a previously owend French city that was given to the colonies during the Lousiana Purchas, so it was believed that the British were trying to get back a the French as well as take over the colonies ending with the final blow at New Orleans which turned out to be a complete failure(Urwin par 2). Trade and transport was a key element to winning a war or even sustaining a country at the time. New Orleans was the most important city to control from this aspect because whoever controlled New Orleans controlled the Mississippi River and whoever needed the Mississippi river to live would pledge allegiance to those people. After the Louisiana Purchase, the colonists gained control of this necessary city, and the British saw this as an opportunity to make the final blow at the Continental army by taking the city and shutting down trade and transport. The city of New Orleans was the deciding factor in the victor of the War, and the British had to take it to be successful(Jackson par 9). Significance The Battle of New Orleans was in fact the last battle of the War of 1812. It was pretty much the decisive factor in the ending of it and the retreat of the British. It was also regarded as the greatest American victory on land in history. The actual city of New Orleans was a key city to controlling the colonies because whoever controlled that city controlled the will of many of the people that needed the Mississippi river to survive(Hickey pg 2). The city was the key to success or failure depending on who controls it. New Orleans came with a strong following, so if the British captured the city, the people who lived anywhere to the west of the Appalachian Mountains would eventually have allegiance to the British based off of necessity(“Battle par 5). The battle of New Orleans signified a new start and a whole new beginning to the young nation. Countries around the world looked to the United States as a country not to reckon with after defeating the bully of a nation known as great Britain. America was specifically known for the winning of the war specifically that ended after such a decisive battle in New Orleans. The United States was now a rising economic power as a result of the end of the war. Andrew Jackson who was the leader of the continental army launched his political career resulting from the end of this battle, and he would later become the president of the United States. One of the bigger impacts it had, was the changing view of the Federalists. The Federalists now thought that a national bank would be a great idea in the progress of the country, and that we needed a large standing Army in order to protect what America had worked so long and hard to get. One of the biggest changes in their thought process was infrastructure spending. They wanted more of it, and infrastructure is what made the United States industrialize and grow so much more quickly than the rest of the world. Infrastructure is the reason for why the country is so great today. Conclusion The battle, as short and simple as it may seem was I fact the biggest event that occurred during the War of 1812 that did in fact last until 1815 where it was officially ended by the treaty of Ghent a few months before the battle of New Orleans was actually fought(Kimball par 7). Because Andrew Jackson pulled off this tremendous victory killing over two thousand British soldiers and pushing them back to Maryland, he was able to secure the country as whole and “end” the war even though it had already ended before. It made the economy rise, and even made America rise as a new powerhouse of a country in the world. New Orleans was held and the British army was complete decimated mostly due to the unorganization of the British troops and the leadership of Andrew Jackson. Because New Orleans was held and almost 2,000 British soldiers were killed, the war was won, and the British were sent back to Great Britain, and America was left alone to deal with domestic issues(Urwin par 5). New Orleans marked the most important city during the War because it controlled trade, indursty, farming, and most important the people that used it. The colonies won the war because the city was kept out of the hands of the British. Works Cited Jackson, Andrew. “Letter Describing the Battle of New Orleans.” Historic American Document Collection. Web. 20 Nov. 2013 “Battle of New Orleans.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 2013. Web 01 Nov. Hickey, Don. Wayne State College. “Leading Stories of the War of 1812.” The War of 1812. Magazine, issue 4: September 2006. Jackson, andrew. “Bio of andrew Jackson.” Bio.com. Dec 5, 2013. Web. Kimball Jeffrey. “Battle of New Orleans.” Great Events from History: The Nineteenth Century. Ed. John Powell. Salem Press, 2007. Salem History Web. 01 Nov. 2013. Lossing, Benson J. “(XXIV): War against the Creek Indians.” Field Book of the War of 1812. New York: Harper and Brothers. Urwin, Gregory J.W. “New Orleans, Battle of.” World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013.